Small devices providing one or more indicia are common. For example, writing instruments, such as pens and pencils, flashlights, charms, beverage containers, etc. often have indicia for decoration or advertisement. Most of these indicia are fixed and cannot be modified or altered to express different messages. For writing instruments, the indicia are typically imprinted on the outer surface of the body.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2005/0053414 published on Mar. 10, 2005, to Mark G. Collins discloses a writing instrument with a plurality of rotatable beads along the body. The beads are of various sizes and shapes and may include different indicia on the exterior surfaces thereof for expressing different messages. Each bead has a round through opening, which is sleeved over the cylindrical ink cartridge to form the barrel of the writing instrument. Each bead is freely rotatable and, disadvantageously, the beads do not remain at a relative position with each other. U.S. Pat. No. D434,798 issued on Dec. 3, 2000, to Andrew J. Platts et al. discloses a similar writing instrument.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2007/0059089 published on Mar. 15, 2007, to Mitch Junkins et al. discloses a writing instrument with separable objects positioned along the shaft that are, disadvantageously, restricted from rotating relative to one another. Each object has an anti-rotation configuration to prevent rotation with respect to each other. The anti-rotation configuration comprises corresponding half-circle cross-sectional opening through which a non-circular shaft is inserted through to restrict rotation. Further, each object has corresponding beads and recesses on the surfaces that abut other objects that further restrict relative rotation between the objects.
Therefore, there is a need for a device that provides a plurality of rotatable sleeve elements that can be frictionally rotated with ease and can be locked at different predetermined positions to provide different messages from the combined and relative positioning of the plurality of indicia on the sleeve elements.